Bad attitude, bad driver

Mar 13, 2010

Comments on this story (2)

Ten ways to be The Good Driver

Jim Kenzie, March 6

It's sad to say, but none of us is perfect, no matter how hard we try or how much pride we take in our driving.

The problem seems to be that a lot of drivers (no matter the age group) do drive as if they own the road. All rules and regulations are thrown out the window!

It's not that our society is driven 24/7 by the clock, it's the "I don't give a darn" attitude.

The light is red – hell, I'm going through!

Complete stop before turning right on a red light or stop sign – never heard of it.

U-turn on a red light in rush hour traffic – sure no problem!

Turn right in front of a bus and almost hit bus or pedestrians – who cares?

Hogging the fast passing lane on highways, street racing – it's my right.

It all comes down to lack of driving skills, and that a lot of GTA drivers forget it's a privilege, not a right, to have a driver's licence.

Ann & Anthony Hume, Bowmanville

When making a right or left turn at an intersection, do not pull out in such a way as to cause an approaching driver to brake in order not run up your back.

I swear that many drivers are not even aware that they do this, or else they just don't give a damn.

Al Truscott, Collingwood

Two different opinions

on two-footed driving

Just one foot, please

Your View, March 6

I read with interest the letter from Dez Miklos about the problem with drivers who drive with one foot on the brake and the other on the accelerator.

What he forgot to mention is that following one of these two-foot drivers is like following a pinball machine: the brake lights are flashing on and off and, even when they are accelerating, the brake lights are still flashing on and off.

It is also a little confusing when they pull away at a green light and their brake lights are flashing.

Ross Klopp, Collingwood

I have to put my foot down! Dez Miklos may be talking with authority, but he can hardly generalize with a single incident of "pedal misapplication."

Left-foot braking has been strongly endorsed by experts like Charles Goodman and Jim Kenzie. After more than 50 years of driving with both feet – transmission type notwithstanding – who am I to disagree with them?

The practice seems so natural and easily becomes second nature to a driver otherwise used to manual transmission.

Reaction time saved by left foot braking can be one- or two-tenths of a second, which translates into three or six metres at 100 km/h, which seniors in particular could use to their advantage.

Even rally car drivers use both feet.

Armand Rodrigues, Toronto

Please don't let Norris

write about F1, either

Please don't let Norris

write about NASCAR

Your View, March 6

I had to chuckle at your reader's letter suggesting that Norris McDonald should stick to a sport he "cares" about like Formula 1.

Over the years Norris has treated us to many gems and consistently demonstrated the depth of his F1 knowledge. Or not.

This week's column was true to form. In it, Norris suggested that a team like McLaren would have no problem attracting a $50 million sponsor as they had "kept their noses clean" and "haven't ripped anyone off." Would this be a different McLaren team from the one handed a (suspended) ban for lying to the stewards at Melbourne last year and the team fined $100 million and stripped of all constructor points in 2007, for being in possession of Ferrari technical documents? I think not.

Alan Dobson, Milton

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